Recording evidence

Teachers may plan for and gather evidence about student achievement in a variety of ways at key points during, and at the end of, a unit, a term or a semester. This evidence can assist teachers in making professional judgements about a student’s progress and achievement of syllabus outcomes, and provides feedback about how students can improve their learning.

Evidence may include teacher observation, questioning, peer evaluation and self-evaluation, as well as more formalised assessment activities, such as:

gathering a range of students’ work samples at various stages of an activity, including anecdotal records and students’ oral, written and multimedia work samples

assessing students’ integrated use of knowledge, understanding and skills rather than discrete facts and skills used in isolation

providing students with an opportunity to present to an identified audience (real or simulated)

providing students with authentic and contextual learning opportunities

analysing the quality of student responses against criteria, including rubrics

observing students during learning activities and participation in a group activity

evaluating student achievement across time, including student portfolios

facilitating student discussion or conferences

reviewing student reflections about what they have learnt and how to improve.

Teachers can use this evidence to:

evaluate student progress in relation to the syllabus outcomes and content being addressed

decide what needs to be taught next, and at what level of detail to assist students in their learning

determine any adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment

form a judgement of student achievement at key points throughout the year

inform students, parents and subsequent teachers of a student’s progress, strengths and areas for improvement

should focus on student progress in relation to outcomes, particular strengths and areas for improvement.

Students and teachers may decide together about the evidence of learning to be gathered and how it should be recorded and organised. Students can use this information, and teacher and peer feedback, to:

reflect on their work

make judgements about their learning

make decisions with their teacher about the next steps in their learning.

Teachers may gather evidence and record:

a student’s strengths and areas for improvement for one activity

the performance of a particular student, class, group or cohort of students, across a range of assessment activities and across a period of time.

Teachers can work collaboratively, including in the online environment, to develop a shared understanding of syllabus standards. Working collaboratively can assist teachers to:

make consistent and comparable judgements of student achievement

decide what to look for when determining the extent of student understanding.